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Weekend Digest- January 6, 2019

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I hope everyone had a restful and fun holiday season. There is plenty of news today so let’s dive in. Here’s your Daily News for Sunday, January 6, 2019.

1. The Shutdown and Alabama

With little progress being made toward agreement on border wall funding and no clear sign to when the partial government shutdown will end, I thought we could take a closer look at how this partial government shutdown is impacting Alabama.

Sen. Doug Jones spoke with Jake Tapper on CNN’s State of the Union this morning and said that “Everything right now is all political posturing,” and that “I’m not going to give wall money just to give wall money…We’ve been talking about dollars and cents, but not plans.”

“Our state wants the government to be open for business,” Jones said. “I think that’s the most important thing for the people of Alabama right now….they want border security but they want government services.”

“But what we need to do, Maria, is get together. We need to secure our border. I think the president is absolutely right in this,” Shelby said.

“And I think we have got to quit the political posturing and get down to rational thinking, rational discussions. I know, this afternoon, some of my staff will be at the White House trying to negotiate to where we are and what can be done. This could be settled in 24 hours or less, if we could get together.”

But just how much is the shutdown affecting Alabama?

The 53,000 or so federal workers in Alabama are mostly Department of Defense who won’t be subject to furlough. Neither will the 6,300 who work for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Other federal employees could see furloughs, including 2,300 NASA employees in Huntsville, 500 or so non-essential Department of Justice workers, and 1,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture workers.

However, NASA thought ahead and made sure the moving of the test fuel tank to Huntsville by barge for the Space Launch System, will not be stopped.

The Dothan Eagle is reporting that the shutdown is preventing the city from receiving community development block grants.

WSFA 12 is reporting that the Women Infants and Children nutrition program, known as WIC, is running on state and local funds and everyone can still access benefits.

Also running normally is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program, better known as food stamps. Funding should be fine through the end of the month but no one knows what happens come February.

And the Anniston Star is reporting that a federal system that allows employers to check the immigration status of potential new employees hasn’t been working this week.

You can read more about the talks going on in Washington over the shutdown HERE.

2. The USS Jeremiah Denton.

A new Navy warship will be named for Alabama’s Jeremiah Denton, the former U.S. Senator and well-known Vietnam veteran who survived torture as a prisoner of war.

Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer announced that a Burke-class guided-missile destroyer will be named in Denton’s honor after it is build at the Ingalls Shipbuilding shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi.

Sen. Richard Shelby, who succeeded Denton in the Senate in 1987, praised the decision to honor him.

“Secretary Spencer’s decision to honor Admiral Jeremiah Denton embodies the significant impact of his courageous actions during the Vietnam War. Admiral Denton’s patriotism, sacrifice, and noble service to Alabama and our great nation will never be forgotten. He is very worthy of this honor, as his legacy merits this level of recognition,” said Senator Shelby.

Read more about Denton’s life and the new Destroyer ship that will be named after him and watch HERE.

And don’t miss Alabama Public Television Filmmaker Mark Fastoso’s award-winning documentary “JEREMIAH,” also available HERE.

3. New Trial for Death Row Inmate.

The Alabama Supreme Court on Friday ordered a new trial for an Alabama death row inmate, ruling that he had an inadequate defense at his trial nearly two decades ago.

A new trial was granted to Emanuel Aaron Gissendanner in a 6-2 decision because his defense counsel failed to do basic investigation to challenge the prosecution’s case at trial.

Gissendanner was convicted in the 2001 killing of 77-year-old Margaret Snellgrove in Dale County. Prosecutors argued that Gissendanner kidnapped and killed Snellgrove and then tried to cash one of her checks.

Dale County Circuit Judge Kenneth Quattlebaum, the judge who presided over the initial trial, ruled in 2010 that Gissendanner deserved a new trial.

Quattlebaum said defense attorneys didn’t do things like call alibi witnesses, consult a handwriting expert, or interview witnesses or review documents that could have undermined prosecution’s claims.

4. More Gas Tax Talk.

She spoke to various legislators that are saying the crumbling roads and infrastructure problems in Alabama are too large to ignore any longer.

House Speaker Mac McCutcheon said that they are working on creating new legislation right now to raise the tax with the goal being a revenue stream that will not be too burdensome to consumers at the pump.

Even though there appears to be a more fervent support for the tax increase, it is still not a done deal for all Alabama lawmakers.

There are arguments about where exactly the money will go and that not everyone is being included in the talks for the new legislation.

House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels said the Democratic Caucus has so far not been included in any discussions about legislation. He says that needs to change if they want to avoid what happened in 2017.